Snake's Miracle
by Aunna
Summary: When rumors about Harry Potter's upbringing arise, it's up to Severus Snape to prove them to be just that: rumors. But what he finds causes him to rethink his ideals... and possibly come to care about the Boy-Who-Lived.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**This is just a story that's been on my mind since I first started reading Harry Potter Fanfiction. I know, this isn't the first time a Severus-adopts-Harry story has been written, but I hope to make this one stand out amongst its peers. Please enjoy the first chapter of Snake's Miracle!**

**Chapter One: The Visit**

_Severus' P.O.V._

"Please Severus," Minerva said, "I need someone to make sure he's okay and you know Albus, he'll just brush it off as nothing and the boy will just continue being abused!

I spun around and looked Minerva straight in the eye. "I will not check on the Potter brat!" I growled, "The boy is just fine. Being pampered by his relatives and not having a single worry in the world. If you really need to check up on the brat, why did you not do it when you saw him? Why ask me to do it now, instead of checking him when you had the chance?"

"They wouldn't let me near him!" she exclaimed, "They kept insisting that I would not go near their precious 'Dudley' and contaminate him!"

"So ask me to do it instead?" I asked, becoming more infuriated as the conversation continued. "I have to brew potions for Poppy, go over the exams, and make sure none of my Slytherins left any surprises in the dorms!"

"I have my Headmistress duties to attend too, Severus," she said, "I must also make sure my dorms are in order, go over my own exams, and keep an eye on Peeves. Before you even ask, Filius and Pomona are on holiday, Aurora is on business, I can't send Binns, Trelwany isn't, as you say, in the best mind set, and Hagrid is taking care of Hogwarts business for Albus. As for Albus, he has a meeting at the Ministry within the hour and I am not sure when he'll return. Plus there is the fact that he'll just turn away me pleads again! Please, all I am asking is for you to do is check up on him. I know Albus hasn't been doing so,"

Minerva's argument strangely made sense. Her hunch about Albus not checking up on the brat were probably true. Every time I asked him about the child, no matter what the question, it was always the same response. He's fine and happy with his relatives. "I'll check up on him," I said, "But I am fairly sure nothing is wrong with the child,"

"Thank you Severus," Minerva said, "I will wait for you to return. It's probably just the worries of an old woman, but I just want to be sure,"

I left the office quickly. Why does she pick me, the greasy git of the dungeons, to check on my worse rival's son? I know she could have easily asked the wolf or one of the Weasleys, but she had to choose me to check on a brat who's probably eating supper by now! But, I rather it be Minerva asking me then Albus. He would have brought Lily into the conversation, no doubt about it.

I quickly grabbed my cloak and left the castle. This summer had turned out to be quite rainy and cold and Pomona believed it wouldn't let up, thus her reason to go on holiday. I might have joined her, if she hadn't decided to go to the western hemisphere to warm up. Besides, I had no other place to enjoy, not since Lily…

I Apparated to Surrey, as Albus had told me that was where Potter and his family were living. The street I popped onto was flooded with water and a cat was trying to take shelter beneath a nearby bench. Number Four was, thankfully, on the side of the street I was on. I could see a large man walk into the house. _'Must be Potter's uncle,'_ I thought as I approached the house.

Rapping on the door, I waited for Petunia to answer. Something wasn't right about this picture though. I could see through the living room window and there was an obese boy who was obviously Potter's cousin. It was hard to believe the boy was five, like his cousin. But the pictures I could see didn't have Potter in any of them. Before Petunia answered the door, I heard her shout, "Dudley, Vernon, dinner's ready!"

What about Potter? Why wasn't she calling him to dinner as well? Something wasn't right, and I have a horrible superstition that Minerva's rumor is anything but a rumor.

Petunia opened the door and paled at the sight of me. "Hello Tuney," I said, trying to hide any disgust in my voice for the moment, "May I come in?"

She took a moment to answer. "No!" she screamed, "The little freak isn't here and hasn't been here for three days! He turned Dudley's yo-yo into a snake and Vernon chased him off! Potter's probably dead by now, so get off my property!"

She slammed the door in my face before I could react and all I wanted to do was hex her, but I had to find Potter. It's been raining all week and three days shivering in the cold isn't good for a five year old. His aunt calling him 'freak' proposes that he's been, at least, verbally abused.

I walked off the stairs and started the search for the missing five-year-old. As much as I don't like the boy, I won't be able to live with myself if I let the last part of Lily die, especially a little child. I just hope I can contact Minerva if needed. I really don't think I can locate the boy by myself.

_Harry's P.O.V._

So cold. It's so cold! I wonder if Aunt Tunia will let me back in. I didn't mean to make a snake out of the yo-yo. I just wanted Dudley to stop hitting me with it! I don't care if Uncle Vernon beats me if I go back, I just want to go home and get warm again!

I shivered under the bush I always hide from Dudley under. The rain was still coming through the leaves and it's getting harder to breath. It was sorta like that time Dudley sat on my chest. I wasn't getting any air and I know that's real bad for me.

I coughed and sneezed as a man in black came walking down the sidewalk. He looked familiar, but I don't remember ever seeing at Aunt Tunia's house. Maybe he can help me breath. Aunt Tunia and Uncle Vernon definitely won't. "Damn it!" the man shouted, "Where can a small child be hiding?"

I crawled out from under the bush and followed the man to a huge oak where Dudley had broke his arm. He grabbed a stick and muttered some words. Then he wasn't wet and I could tell he was very warm. "How did he do that?" I whispered, not wanting him to hear me.

But he did and the moment he saw me, I tried to run. I managed a few steps before I slipped. I couldn't catch my breath and the man was getting closer. "Please… don't beat… me," I said before he lifted me into his arms.

I wanted nothing more than to run. Uncle Vernon was always telling me about the men who pick up freaks like me and killed them. "Please… don't… kill me," I whispered. His grip was strong and gentle, like he was holding glass. Aren't freaks supposed to be thrown about like rag dolls?

"I'm not going to kill you little one," the man said as he walked away from the tree. "I'm going to take you to a friend of mine. She'll make you nice and warm again, alright?"

"Can she… help… me… breath?" I asked. I felt like a hippo was sitting one me and I was colder than before. The man lifted his hand and I flinched. He was going to hit me for breaking the 'no questions' rule.

"I'm just going to feel your temperature child," he said, putting the back of his hand on my forehead. I remember a lady doing the same thing to me a long time ago, but it was real blurry.

"You're burning up child!" the man exclaimed.

"But I'm not hot!" I said real quickly. "I'm freezing!" I was seeing black spots everywhere.

"Can you tell me your name?" the man asked.

Everything was spinning real fast now and I thought I might throw up. "Harry," I said and everything went black.

_Severus' P.O.V._

Potter went limp in my arms as soon as he said his name. The boy probably had pneumonia by now! How could those Muggles treat a child like this? I might not like the boy, but he didn't deserve to die because his relatives are completely shallow creatures.

I popped back to the gates of Hogwarts and ran to the Hospital Wing. The boy's breathing was becoming more and more ragged. I was afraid that he would stop breathing entirely before we got to Poppy. She better be there, I don't think he can wait for me to take him to St. Mungo's. He was probably dying in my arms and I could do nothing about it.

The moment I came into the Hospital Wing, Poppy emerged from her office. "Severus, what in the world...?" she started to asked, before pointing at one of the beds. "Put him down quickly Severus. I'm not sure what's wrong with him, but I can tell its life threatening,"

I quickly put him on the bed and we spent the rest of the day and a good part of the night working on the boy. It was nerve-racking to just watch Poppy give him potions and align bones no five-year-old should ever break. But that wasn't the worst of it. The boy, whenever semi-conscious, would mutter things about his home life and beg us not to beat him. He promised to be good and that we wouldn't have to lock him in the cupboard again. As the night wore on, I saw less and less of James bloody Potter and more of an abused child. It was sickening. I rather Potter over abuse any day.

We finished around four o'clock in the morning. Poppy cast multiple charms to alert her of any change in his condition and strapped an oxygen mask around his mouth and nose before returning her attention to me. "He's not out of the woods yet Severus," she said, "He has a severe case of pneumonia and there are many bones still that healed incorrectly that I'm going to have to break and reset. He's probably suffering from emotional trauma and, due to his pneumonia; I believe he's going to have respiratory problems for the rest of his life. That means asthma and he'll have to carry around an inhaler. Besides that, he's severely malnourished and carries multiple scars that look like belt buckles or knife cuts. There is no doubt in my mind this boy has been abused since the moment he was left on their door step,"

I nodded sullenly, hoping this was all a dream and that I would wake up tomorrow knowing the Potter boy was safe and happy, not this abused child. "I must report to Minerva," I said, "She's probably wondering where I am at the moment. She said she would be waiting for me to return so I can inform her on Harry's condition,"

She nodded. "Get some sleep first Severus," she said, "She is probably asleep and you can inform her what has occurred later in the morning,"

"What has happened, dear Poppy?" We jumped and saw Albus coming into the Hospital Wing. I gave a glance at Potter and Albus automatically looked. The twinkle in his eyes disappeared and he looked to be about the one-hundred and two years he was. But something was off. The twinkle seemed to be replaced with hatred and discomfort when he looked at Potter, but looked at us with worry and sadness. We hadn't told him what had happened. Was he holding that hate for Harry? "This is my fault," Albus said, but I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. "I should have checked on him, at least to see how he was faring in his new environment. I could have stopped this,"

Poppy put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Do you want to know what is ailing him?" A nod from the headmaster, but I could see he didn't care. She sighed and repeated what she had told me. Albus looked like he was about to faint.

"I'll be in my rooms if you need me," I said, rushing out of the wing before either of them could react. I needed to talk with Cearul. He could calm me down and advise me on how to proceed. I didn't trust Albus to place Potter in a good home, but this crazy idea had popped into my head.

Why couldn't I be Potter's guardian?

**Author's Note:**

**I've gone through the first three chapters to make it flow better with the Evil!Albus thing. I really hope it's better and makes more sense now!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

**To let you all know there are no Horcruxes in this story. I had a really hard time writing about them in 'James' Time' and I don't have a clue how I'm going to write it in 'Lily's Flame' or 'What If?' I really hope you like this chapter! I've been really hyped about writing this story for months!**

**Chapter Two: Coming to Conclusions**

_Severus' P.O.V._

I came storming into my quarters. I could feel my Elemental and my magic crackling all around me, threatening to let itself loose and attack what was closest. That, in this case, would be my Elemental partner, Cearul. I am a Fire Elemental, well known for hiding my emotions and having a terrible temper if I was upset. Cearul is a panther made completely out of fire. He lifted his head and automatically knew I was upset and pondering about something. _"Calm yourself Severus and tell me what has happened with Harry,"_ he said, jumping into my lap as I sat down.

"He was being abused Cearul," I said, unable to mask the sadness and anger in my voice, "They beat him, called him a freak, and left him to die in the rain! The boy is probably going to have asthma for the rest of his life now! The worse thing is that I'm afraid Albus is going to put the boy in an equally horrible or even worse environment!"

_"And you're thinking about possibly taking in the boy?"_ Cearul asked.

"I don't even know why I want to take the boy in!" I shouted, feeling calm once again once I had shouted. I took a deep breath before continuing. "Maybe it's the eyes or maybe it's the way he had begged me not to beat him, but something about him has brought out this… protective instinct in me and all I want to do it hide him from the world. I know that's impossible, he's the Boy-Who-Lived for Merlin's sake! But all I know is… I think I care for the boy,"

_"You are probably the best choice for the boy,"_ Cearul said, nuzzling my cheek, _"You know exactly how to care for an abused child. You know exactly how they'll react to certain things and how you should go about treating them. You were one yourself and people may say you are hard and cold, but that's because you we're raised differently. Make sure Harry doesn't follow that same path, because Albus is planning on putting him back,"_

"He's planning to put him back with the Dursleys?" I asked feeling completely horrified at the idea.

_"I told you I have been following that man around," _Cearul said, anger flashing in his eyes, _"I told Poppy of what I have heard and she agrees that you would be a better candidate than anyone else. Oh, of course we brought up Remus and the Weasleys but you know with Remus he'll be gone for two days of the month and the Weasleys can't give him the attention he needs, no matter how hard they try. She has the paperwork all ready to go, all you have to do is sign it and Harry will be your ward. But she suggested that, while he's in the hospital wing, you should get to know him. Make him feel safe and want to live with you. He might actually prefer Poppy, though I think it's unlikely,"_

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Cearul had a point and I didn't want to risk Potter any more than he already had. "What if he's Elemental too?" I asked, "What if he's a Plant or Ice or, Merlin forbid, Water? We'll be constantly fighting and I might hurt him! As much as I don't want him to return to those… monsters, I won't risk his life because of what I am,"

Cearul just smiled at me. _"I can tell you his is an Elemental," _Cearul said, _"But he is none of those. From what I picked up on the boy when I was talking to Poppy, he's a very rare one we only come across when we're very lucky,"_

"What is he then?" I asked, "I've only known seven out of the eight or nine different Elementals and none of the ones I know fit that description," The ones I was aware of was Ice, Fire, Water, Wind, Animal, Ground, and Plant. The eighth was a complete mystery to me because I had never come across one and the ninth was rumored to be Death itself.

_"Because their leader was killed many years ago and they can't get along with each other without one," _Cearul said, _"He's an Electric Elemental Severus, and his temper can be worse than yours at times. But, when the Electrics had a kingdom, they were very close to the Fire kingdom. He just has to learn how to control it along with everything else,"_

I yawned as he finished. "Good night Cearul," I said, "Please make sure I don't sleep in past ten,"

_"Alright Sev,"_ Cearul said, _"Good night,"_

_Harry's P.O.V. 10:33 in the morning_

I groaned and turned over, but something was tugging at my arm. I opened my eyes to see a needle in my arms, putting something clear into my arm. I whimpered, wishing the needle would go away. The one time the Dursleys had taken me to the doctor, he put the needles in real hard and they hurt for the rest of the day. I took off some mask and looked up to see an animal on fire. Before I could scream it jumped onto my bed and rubbed against my cheek. _"Good morning little one," _it said, _"Is the needle scaring you?"_

I nodded and it gently licked my face. It might be on fire, but the flames didn't hurt. They were just warm. _"The needle will come out once Poppy comes back," _it said, _"You must be Harry. My human was very worried about you last night,"_

"The man in black?" I asked.

It nodded. _"His name is Severus," _it said, _"My name is Cearul. He was very worried because you were very sick,"_

I frowned at that. "Nobody is supposed to worry about freaks," I said, "Freaks like me deserve to die. That's what Aunt Tunia said,"

Cearul looked very angry when I said that. I flinched and covered my face, expecting him to bite me. _"Your aunt was very wrong Harry," _he said, _"You are not a freak. If being able to do magic qualifies you as a freak, then everyone in this castle is a freak. But no one is a freak and you are not one either. If you call yourself that again, Severus will explain why you are not a freak,"_

"You're not going to bite me?" I asked. Cearul shook his head as a woman and the man in black, Severus, came walking into the room. Severus gave Cearul a look and he jumped off the bed to him. "Why is there a needle?" I asked, forgetting the no questions rule. "Needles hurt me ma'am,"

"Is it hurting you right now?" she asked, coming over.

"No," I said, "But the doctor Aunt Tunia took me to made it hurt and it scares me,"

She nodded and took the needle on my arm, but put the mask back on my face. I could breathe! Severus really took me to the lady who could help! But I knew I couldn't stay on the mask forever. "My name is Madame Pomfrey," she said, "You can call me Poppy. We're going to keep you on the mask for another hour before we give you some lunch. After that, if you have trouble breathing, you need to tell me so I can give you some medicine, okay?"

I nodded and she went somewhere else. I looked at Severus. He was watching me and Cearul was looking at him. "Are you in any pain Harry?" he asked. I shook my head. "That's good. You were very badly hurt when I found you. Harry, can you answer a few questions for me?" I nodded again. "Harry, do you want to go back to the Dursleys?" I shook my head. I never wanted to go back, but I probably was going to be forced back. No one really cared what I think, never ever. "Can you write?" he asked. I nodded. He handed me a pad of paper and a pencil. "If you have any questions you can write them on the paper and I'll answer them,"

I quickly wrote 'Why do you care what happens to me? I'm just a freak.' When he read that he shook his head. "Harry, you're not a freak," he said, "You're a special little boy who can do magic. I care for you because I hate seeing children hurt Harry. I also knew your mother,"

I quickly grabbed the paper back and wrote 'What was she like? I don't believe what Aunt Tunia said about her.' He read it, handed back the paper and asked, "What did she tell you about her?"

I wrote 'That she and my dad were drunks that we're killed in a car crash. It's where I got my scar.' He took a minute to read it, I knew my hand writing was pretty bad, but I was the best speller out of my whole class and the teacher said I was as smart as the kids a few years ahead of me! She even let me write full sentences and never told my aunt or my uncle!

"Neither your mother or your father were drunks," Severus said, "Your mother was the sweetest woman I had ever known. She was excellent at Potions and Charms. As for a car crash to kill that woman, it would be near impossible. She was killed by a very bad man Harry. He tried to harm you and she was willing to give up everything to keep you safe. You were left with that scar. She loved you very much and you were her world,"

Severus looked like he was about to cry. I was feeling sleepy again and I wrote 'Going to take a nap. I real tired.'

"Good night child," Severus said, running his hand through my hair. I felt really safe when he did that, like no one would ever hurt me again. I really hoped I could stay with Severus, but I knew better than that. He probably didn't want a little five-year-old to take care of.

_Severus' P.O.V._

Harry fell back asleep in moments. I waved at Poppy to let her know he was sleep. She came over and sat next to me, watching the little toddler's even breaths. "There was something you didn't tell me last night, wasn't there?" I asked.

Poppy looked over and sighed. "Albus put multiple blocks on Harry's magic," she said, "He's still stronger than most magical children, but not by much. I think, if we took off the blocks, Harry could possibly be stronger then Albus himself. But we need to find a Curse Breaker and he needs to be able to prove that Albus put the blocks on,"

"My friend Simon is a Curse Breaker," I said, "He already knows Albus' magical signature, Albus was the one who 'accidently' curse him a few years after we graduated. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to help Harry,"

"Please contact him," Poppy said, "Make sure Albus doesn't catch you. I'll bring Harry to your dorms so he won't have to risk being seen by him. I just can't believe Albus would do something like this. He's been my friend for years and I never would have expected him to let a child be abused like this,"

I had never expect Albus to do this either. He had been the one to offer me redemption after I had become a spy for the Dark Lord. He was looked at like a grandfather by many and everyone trusted the man. I stood and left to contact Simon. He didn't trust that man as far as he could throw a full grown dragon.

I didn't have to say anything for Cearul to take the hint of watching the boy. I didn't trust Albus to not try to take Harry while Poppy's back was turned. Speaking of the devil, there was Albus, heading for the very room I had just left. "Why, hello Severus," he said, "How is Harry?"

I could see in his eyes he didn't truly care if he was alright. He just needed to keep the boy alive long enough for whatever Albus needed him for and then Albus would take the glory while the boy died at his relatives' hands. "He awoke today," I said, trying to make it seem like I was onto nothing, "He actually talked to us. He seems to be very bright for his age, nothing like James at all,"

"It's nice to see you got over your schoolboy grudge," It was obvious to see he was lying about that. He must have been depending somewhat on me hating the child. "I hope he recovers soon, his relatives are starting to worry,"

"What do you mean Albus?" I asked, not bothering to hide the anger in my voice. "They told me in no uncertain terms that they would not care if the child died. You saw the scars Albus; it's quite obvious that the boy has been abused,"

A pained smile crossed his face. "They had a misunderstanding," he said, "They apologized for their former behavior and I'll have them on probation for a year once they have Harry back. He won't be abused again,"

I knew he was lying to me. I was taught as I spy to see that. I just wished I had seen it earlier, maybe Lily wouldn't have died that night. She could have lived to raise her son. "Harry is asleep at the moment," I said. That caused relief to flood his eyes. "I have some business to attend to, but you'll not be returning Harry to his relatives till all of his injuries heal, which could take most of the summer. We will not allow him to return,"

He looked upset that I had foiled his plan and I ran to the dungeons, quickly throwing in the Floo powder. "Sandlift House, Oliver's End!" I shouted, rushing through the flames into Simon's house.

Simon was, surprisingly, talking with another Curse Breaker named Zane. As far as I had known, the two still had urges to kill the other. "Severus," Simon said, "How nice to see you,"

"I need your help Simon," I said, eyeing Zane wearily.

"If it has anything to do with Dumbledore, it's safe to tell Zane," Simon said, "He's got a bone to pick with him too,"

"Dumbledore has gone off the deep end," I said, "You remember the Potter boy, right?" A nod from both men. "He placed him with his Muggle relatives. They abused him and I found him under a bush, practically dying from hypothermia and all because he accidentally turned his cousin's yo-yo into a snake. Not only did his aunt admit to me that she didn't care if her nephew died or not, we found scars on the boy's back and he has constantly begged us not to beat him and throw him into a cupboard. Albus seemed to be honestly upset last night about him being abused, but I saw that last night he was lying and covering up his true emotions. Today he said he was going to return the boy to his relatives. I cannot allow that to happen,"

"What does this have to do with us?" Zane asked.

"Harry has had multiple blocks placed upon him," I said, "I highly doubt any are from Lily or James. Poppy and I think that Albus put them on Harry to keep him weak and defending himself from his relatives. We need you to trace and break the blocks on him. The boy could be stronger than Dumbledore if the blocks are removed,"

Zane smiled and they started whispering amongst each other. I thought back to last night, about how the headmaster had looked. The sadness I thought I had saw had been anger that his plan had been somewhat discovered. He knew that we would figure it out and refuse to return the boy to his relatives. All he needed Harry for was to finish off whatever was left of the Dark Lord that night. All of the hatred I saw wasn't toward his relatives, but the boy. That it was his fault that we had discovered his plans. "We'll help you," Simon said, snapping me out of my thoughts, "All we're asking is that you have your friend Malfoy look into Harry's Wizarding guardianship. If Dumbledore is Harry's magical guardian, then he had every right to put those blocks on. If not, he could possibly be looking at a lifetime in Azkaban,"

I nodded and went home, leaving the two to make their little plans. I needed to write Lucius as soon as possible. He could easily look into Harry's guardianship and help me get custody of the boy. It was sad to see my friend having to slave himself to the Dark Lord, but now he is his own man and he knows exactly what needs to be done. That includes protecting little boys from manipulative headmasters. He would do the same if Dumbledore was trying to control any other child. He can't stand the old man and lately, neither can I.

Just as I was about to send the letter, Poppy came running into my quarters carrying Harry and some papers, followed by Cearul dragging a large bag. "Poppy," I said, "What is the meaning of this?"

"Albus is trying to send Harry back to his relatives today," she panted, "He tried everything to get me to hand him over, even as far as threatening mine, Cearul, and Harry's lives. We have to get out of here Severus! He'll kill us both and send him back to just be killed by his relatives! Do you know of a safe place we can hide?"

I took the bag from Cearul once he was safely inside and grabbed Poppy's hand. "The only place that comes to mind is Malfoy Manor," I said, "Do you think you can refrain from killing Lucius for a few days?"

She nodded and I threw in the Floo powder. We disappeared just as Albus came bursting into the living room, looking as mad as the Dark Lord himself.

The moment we landed in the living room a wand was in our faces. "What is the meaning of this Severus?" he asked, eying Poppy and Harry nervously.

"The headmaster is trying to send the boy back to abusive relatives and, we believe, he has placed multiple blocks on the boy's magic," I said, "We need to hide from him and we need to know if he is Harry's magical guardian. He can't place the wards on him legally if he isn't,"

Lucius sighed and put his wand away. "You can stay on the third floor, fifth door to the right," he said, before walking away, probably to inform Narcissa.

"Come on Poppy," I said, "We're safe for now,"

**Author's Note:**

**Am I moving too fast with this story? I really don't like evil! Dumbledore and I hate writing about him, though most people I write about are evil in some way. Someone suggested that Dumbledore pay the price for his actions and I decided to follow this route. I normally don't update this quickly on any story, but this one, as mention before, is something I've been wanting to do for a while now. Please enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: For A Little Boy**

_Severus' P.O.V._

"Severus, why did we leave the castle?" Harry asked, finally having the strength to sit up by himself. We had been here for nearly two weeks and Lucius was getting closer to knowing if Albus was Harry's magical guardian.

"The headmaster was being very stupid," I said, trying not to confuse the boy, "He thought that, by telling your relatives to be nice, that they would love you. But we knew that wouldn't work, so we came here so he can't take you back,"

He nodded and clutched the little lion plushie Minerva had given him once she knew he was in the castle. It was the only toy he had ever received in his memory and he was terrified that we would try to take it away. He was starting to look a little better; he actually managed to gain a few pounds over the past two weeks. But I could tell he was thinking about something. Draco made the same face whenever he was thinking, and he liked to think a lot. "Is something bothering you child?" I asked.

"Will other kids like me?" he asked, "The other kids that can do magic too?"

"I'm sure they will Harry," I said, thinking about the little blonde boy not three rooms away from us, "Let me ask Lucius something and maybe we can find you a little friend,"

Harry nodded and started playing with his lion again. I left after making sure the charms that would tell me if he was having an asthma attack were up and running. The house elf, Dobby, appeared in front of me. "Lord Malfoy wishes to see Master Snape in his office sir," he said, disappearing with a crack.

I walked to his office, no doubt in my mind that he had discovered something about Harry's guardianship. He had been working nonstop on finding out about the old coot's legal rights to the child. Narcissa had told me that Lucius was hardly coming to bed, that the house elves would find him asleep in his chair every morning. I wonder what Lucius has been up too. On all the previous cases he's studied, he managed to get into bed at a decent time. It was a little weird for him.

When I walked in, Lucius had a devilish smile on his face. "What have you found, Lucius?" I asked, talking a set next to him.

"With what I have found, we could lock Dumbledore up for years," he said, grinning like a mad man, "When I found that he had no guardianship, I came across the Potter will. It took me nearly four days to get permission from the goblins to read it. It clearly states that Harry isn't to go anywhere near the Dursleys and if guardianship cannot be handed over to Black, the Longbottoms, or the werewolf that he was supposed to be…"

"Who was he to go to?" I asked.

"To you Severus," Lucius said, "If no one was able to care for him, you were to become his caretaker. Albus took him right from you,"

That shocked me beyond anything else. Potter had actually let Lily name me guardian? Lily had forgiven me before Halloween and her demise? I'll admit, if I had been offered guardianship then, I would have asked if he had anywhere else to go. But the moment Albus would have said Petunia or the Dursleys; I would have taken the boy. "That's not the only thing Albus is doing wrong," Lucius added, "He's taking money from the Potter vaults. He's taken three of the smaller ones and is working on getting control of the larger ones. It's a good thing he can't touch Harry's trust fund, or he would have nothing by the time he turned eleven,"

"We should alert the goblins after I take guardianship of the boy," I said, "What Albus is doing to Harry is completely irresponsible and ghastly. If I could I would hex his arse into the next decade. I will fill out the guardianship papers tonight. But Lucius, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," Lucius said, not looking up from his papers.

"Harry asked me if other magical children would think him a freak," I said, gaining Lucius' attention, "I told him no and that I'd talk to you about finding him a little friend. Do you think Draco would get along with him?"

Lucius just stared at me for a moment. I was about to snap my fingers in front of his face to make him snap out of it when he smiled. "I'll get Draco, just make sure Harry's presentable," he said, leaving the office to retrieve his son. I rolled my eyes and went to get Harry into something other than his pajamas.

_Minerva's P.O.V._

I sighed as I sorted out whatever was left of the acceptance letters. I could barely concentrate with my mind on my little lion and my comrades. I could see why Severus would choose to stay with the Malfoys, but all of the teachers here would have never let Albus hurt Harry like that! Not in a million years! I was about to see if one of the owls could deliver a letter for me when one of the house elves popped in. "Master Dumbly like to see Mistress Minnie in his office," she said, popping away again.

I sighed and went to Albus' office. I needed to listen to whatever the crazy coot said; he might let something slip about Harry and what he wants from the child. As crazy as it was, I needed to learn his motives because, the man Poppy described the night Harry was brought in, wasn't the man in his place now.

Albus greeted me with the usual lemon drop, which I politely declined. Then he got serious and gestured me to take a seat. "As you know Minerva," Albus said, "Severus and Poppy have disappeared with young Mr. Potter in tow. It's important that he is returned back to Hogwarts, then to his relatives,"

"But why Albus?" I asked, "If his Aunt and Uncle hurt him, why send him back?"

"It is necessary to make sure Harry can face Voldemort again," he said, "He needs to be able to destroy what's left of his soul, whatever survived that night. After that is done, we can see what can be done for the boy. For now, dear Minerva, he needs to stay with his Muggle relatives so he can be prepared for the final fight,"

"By teaching him no magic?" I asked, feeling completely confused, "You-Know-Who always uses magic, he needs to learn about our world in order to understand what is going on here. Any ways, why send Severus to check on the child? He might have overlooked anything due to the nature of Harry's father!"

"That is exactly why I sent him," Albus said.

I cut him off before he could say anything else. "Are you saying you were planning for the boy to be abused?" I screeched at him, "You wanted him to have to hurt and to die at the hands of his relatives!"

Albus sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'm not going to lie to you any more Minerva," he said, "You deserve to know the truth. All we need Mr. Potter for is to finish off Voldemort. After that, I honestly don't care if he dies. He's just someone I need to be able to mold into the perfect weapon, someone that I can use to destroy the Dark Lord for once and for all. It's for the common good Minerva. Sometimes an innocent life must be sacrificed for the benefit of everyone else,"

Before I could react, he turned to Fawkes, who had started screeching at him. "What do you mean, dear friend?" he asked, "I'm still Albus,"

Fawkes shook his head and flew off, causing a great bout of magic to break between the two. It was obvious that Fawkes had unbounded from the headmaster, something that hasn't been performed since the days of Merlin himself. Albus looked a little worried, but overall he wasn't to shaken up by the departure of his former friend. "Stupid bird," he mumbled, no doubt in my mind that I wasn't to hear his comment, "Minerva," he started, turning back to me, "As for the reason I sent Severus is simple. He hated James with a passion and there was no doubt in my mind that he would just see a replica for him instead of the pieces of his mother that he has. If Petunia and Vernon had done what they were supposed to do, he would have never even suspected Mr. Potter being abused. It was just a chance that he managed to see it and be able to prove it. We need the boy to finish Voldemort, that's all. You may go and continue your duties Minerva, that is all I needed from you tonight,"

I left his office with only thought in my mind. I needed to tell Severus and Poppy immediately.

_Lucius' P.O.V._

I walked down the hall, deep in thought. This didn't happen very often, as there was normally nothing bothering me. But the little green eyed boy who Severus had brought was bothering me. He was the one who destroyed the Dark Lord and managed to save the magical world. I couldn't understand why Albus wouldn't care for the child. He had obviously helped the old coot win the war against He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named; didn't Albus somehow owe the child for that?

But that didn't worry me the most. What if the old man managed to locate the manor and took them away? They would arrest me, not doubt about it. Maybe they would take Narcissa too, but what would happen to my little dragon, Draco? They would place him in another family and he would barely remember us. Can I really take that risk for Severus?

I walked past the room Severus, Poppy, and Harry were staying in. I stopped when I heard my son's voice coming from the room. "You've never heard of Quidditch!" he was shouting.

"Never heard of it," Harry said, I couldn't miss the hoarseness in his voice, "What's it about?"

That caused Draco to go and explain everything about the game. I looked through the crack the door was making and smiled. Draco was sitting next to Harry, and Harry was obviously entranced by his words. "Don't worry Harry," Draco said, "When you're done being sick, my daddy and I'll show you how to play! We can be Quidditch buddies!"

"Buddies?" Harry asked, "Like, we'll be friends?" Draco nodded excitably, "No one's ever been my friend before. They all thought I was a freak,"

"You're not a freak!" Draco yelled, making Harry flinch. Draco didn't notice, "You're the coolest kid I've ever met! I mean, not that I've met very many kids, but you don't believe anything about blood statuses and you actually like dragons! All my other friends think dragons are big and scary monsters that eat everyone. But, my toy dragons don't eat people!"

Harry nodded and smiled. "Friends?" he asked, holding out his hand.

"Best friends forever," Draco said, pulling Harry into a hug.

Harry stiffened for a moment, but hugged Draco back. I knew I was doing to right thing. This little boy deserved to have a family that loves him and cherishes every moment they have with him. I walked in once Harry and Draco pulled away. "Daddy!" Draco shouted, jumping off the bed.

I lifted him into my arms. "Hello my little Dragon," I said, "What have you been up to today?"

"I told Harry about magic," he said, "Daddy, when he gets better, can we go play Quidditch? He's never played before because he got stuck with some Muggles,"

"We all can," I said, "As long as Severus says it's okay for Harry to play,"

Poppy came in and said that we needed to leave. She had to give Harry his medicine and then he needed to take a nap. We left, Draco very reluctantly. "You can see him again at dinner Draco," I said, "For now, go to your room and play. I need to talk to Severus,"

"Okay Daddy," he said, walking toward his room.

I went to the sitting room, where Severus was finishing up the guardianship papers. Cearul was sitting next to him. "Are you finished yet?" I asked.

"Just about," he said, putting on a final signature. I could see that Poppy had already signed as one of the witnesses. I was to sign as the other and then I would push it through the system, probably having to 'talk' to a few people on the way. Though, there probably wouldn't be too much objection if I showed them the Potter will.

Severus slid the paper over to me and I quickly added my signature. It disappeared with a pop and I stood to leave. Severus grabbed my hand, stopping me in my tracks. "Thank you so much Lucius," he said, "I could have never done this without you,"

"I wouldn't have done for any other," I said, "Now; I must see that it passes through without a hitch. I will see you at dinner, hopefully with good news,"

He nodded and I left for the Ministry. I couldn't let Dumbledore get away with this, not when the boy had won the hearts of many, myself included.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Request Granted**

_Severus' P.O.V._

I sat in the Malfoy's dining room, trying to get Draco to eat and encouraging Harry to eat more than a few bites of chicken and potatoes. Both boys were being as stubborn as mules and I knew I couldn't blame Harry. The boy had practically been starved his whole life and this measly portion must be a feast to him. But Draco could eat this and more if he wanted to. I had already told him that if he didn't eat he wasn't going to get a cookie and that I wouldn't read him a bedtime story, but he didn't budge at either offers. At least I was getting Harry to take a bite every now and again. That's it! "Draco, if you don't eat, I'm not going to let you go flying with Harry," I said.

That got Draco's attention and Harry was looking at me wide-eyed. I know Draco's a quidditch fanatic and anything that Draco liked, Harry had come to like also. I had never seen a day where Draco wasn't trying to encourage someone to play with him and Harry was very excited about flying. When I had asked him why he want to fly so much I almost cried.

_Flashback…_

"_Can I go flying today Sev?" Harry asked as we watched Lucius and Draco fly around their apple orchard. I don't remember when he started calling me by the nickname, but it made him Lily's son even more. _

"_Not today Harry," I said, "Maybe Friday, when Poppy stops giving you that medicine,"_

"_But Sev!" he exclaimed, "I really want to fly with Draco!" _

_This was the first time that he had persisted on anything I had said no to. It was a little overwhelming, being used to the quiet and obedient Harry. "Why do you want to fly so much little one?" I asked._

"_The angels fly Sev," he said, "Mummy and Daddy are angels so they have to fly, so if I fly, they might fly with me. They might tell me they love me and they might stay with me forever and ever. Or they might take me with them and I can help the angels do whatever they do. Sev, what do the angels do?"_

_I was taken aback for a moment. He wanted to fly to be with his parents. "The angels help pour out the rain and they protect people," I said, trying to fight back the tears._

_Harry just smiled and curled up into my lap, falling asleep in a matter of seconds. It surprised me how much the child knew, but yet how much the child didn't understand. He was truly something out of this world._

_End of Flashback_

By the time the boys were getting ready for a bedtime story I had gotten them to eat their dinner, take a bath, and get them into bed. They didn't fall asleep until I finished reading 'The Unicorn Who Jumped over the Moon' the third time. I smiled as I watched both of them dream. It was like they didn't have a care in the world and I wished it was like that.

"Severus," I turned around to see Lucius. "Come here Severus. I have good news,"

I reluctantly left the room and went to speak to Lucius. I was terrified to leave the boys alone. Albus might learn how to bypass the wards and take them away. I don't think Lucius or I would be able to live with that. "What do you wish to tell me?" I asked, "Please tell me that Simon and Zane found that Albus put the blocks on him!"

"Yes they did," Lucius said, "They told me yesterday and I have trail set two days from now. There is no way they can deny the evidence and let Albus get away scot free! But that isn't the only good news I have for you Severus,"

What else could Lucius tell me? He pulled out same papers from his pocket. "Congratulations Severus," he said, "You are now the guardian of one Harry James Potter."

I smiled the moment the papers were in my hands. Harry was my son now. No one could take him away from me, not even Albus. I gave Lucius a sincere smile and couldn't resist the urge to huge the man. "Thank you for everything Lucius," I said, "How can I ever repay you?"

"You have paid me enough Severus," he said, "You have given my son the friend and brother he has been looking for. There is nothing more you can do but to keep us in his life,"

"That can easily be arranged," I said, "I just can't wait to see the look on Albus' face when he's thrown into Azkaban,"

Lucius smiled at that and motioned for me to follow him into the kitchen. I was about to follow when I heard a scream come from the boys' room. We both dashed for the door and ran to their beds. Draco was wide awake, staring at Harry like he had just told him that Father Christmas didn't exist. Harry was awake also, clutching Courage the lion, bawling his eyes out. I picked him up and held him close to my chest. "Did you have a nightmare little one?"

He nodded and Draco crawled over to Harry, rubbing his head. Harry looked up at him, confused by his friend's actions. "My mummy rubs my hair when I have a bad dream," he said.

Harry smiled and then frowned. "Sorry for waking you up," he said, "I'm such a baby,"

"You're not a baby!" Draco shouted, causing Harry's tears to come back full force and bury his head into my chest. I looked at Draco and saw the confusion and fear in his eyes. "Daddy, I didn't mean to make Harry cry!" he exclaimed, looking at his father as if expecting punishment.

"I know you didn't Dragon," he said, scooping his son into his arms, "But Harry gets very scared when people yell. His old family, the muggles we told you about, when they yelled at him they hurt him too," I could tell that it pained Lucius to give Draco that simple explanation, but Draco didn't understand.

"What do you mean Daddy?" he asked.

"Do you remember the time that you fell out the tree and hurt your arm?" a nod from Draco. "Well, Harry's family made Harry hurt like that and didn't give him medicine when he was sick. They yelled at him a lot before hurting him, so when you yell at him, he thinks you're going to hurt him too,"

Draco looked horrified at the idea. I bent down to whisper in Harry's ear. "He's not going to hate you Harry," I said, "You're practically his brother, he's loves you too much to hate you," Harry lifted his head up and I nodded.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you," Draco said, way too quiet for my liking, "I didn't know that'd make you scared,"

"It's okay Draco," Harry said, "You didn't know,"

"Would you like to tell us what your nightmare was about?" I asked, "Maybe we can help make it go away,"

That only caused Harry to stiffen and start crying again. Before I could tell him that he didn't need to tell us, that it was only an offer, he started to speak. "I saw Mummy die again!" he sobbed, "But then the man didn't go away and he killed you and Draco and Uncle Luc and Aunt Sissy! I don't want you to die Sev!"

Draco held one of Harry's hands and Lucius started to run his fingers through Harry's hair. I just held him close, trying to comfort him. This wasn't the first time he had told me about seeing his mother dying and I knew this probably wouldn't be the last, but I wanted nothing more than to make the nightmares stopped. No child should have to watch his mother die and relive the moment for the rest of their lives.

As Harry fell back asleep in my arms, Draco following his friend's action just moments later, I realized that he call Lucius 'uncle.' I smiled as I realized that Narcissa had told Harry to call him that and he actually felt comfortable to call her that. It proved that maybe it wasn't too late for Harry to learn to trust people. He could grow up to be a normal wizard and I could be the proud man to have claimed to raise him. I would raise him to be a good child, one that didn't harass his classmates to get a laugh or to win a girl. He would be my little Harry, my own son.

I tucked him back into bed as Lucius did the same for his son. I looked over at him and saw the sad look in his eyes, but he smiled at me. I smiled back and we left the boys in peace. Hopefully one day Harry would stop having his nightmares and he wouldn't think that we were going to beat him every time we yelled. I really hoped that he could be a normal child one day, but I have a feeling that the day is far away.

I followed Lucius to the dining room, where Narcissa and Poppy were waiting. With them were Simon, Zane, and Minerva. The moment I saw her I remembered the letter she sent us, which led to me shivering slightly. How Albus justified himself I don't know, but I do know that we have a long road in front of us.

"So, the trail is set for two days from today?" Minerva asked.

"Since today is almost over, we only have tomorrow to prepare," Lucius said, "I've already got all the paperwork in order and Severus and Poppy have the pictures and medical reports. Narcissa, I trust that you'll be watching the boys while we are in court?"

"Of course dear," she said, "But won't they want to question Harry too? Are the Dursleys going on trial too?"

I hadn't thought about prosecuting the Dursleys at all. My first concern was getting rid of Albus and then going after the abusive bastards. But I saw Lucius smile and I knew that he had gotten a trial for them too. "Since they were involved with this whole scheme they'll be on trial right after Dumbledore," he said, "Just because Albus left them on their front porch doesn't mean they have the right to beat a child. As for their son, I'm sure he'll be put into an orphanage,"

"But what about this 'Aunt Marge?'" I asked, remembering Harry mention her in a few of his nightmares, "Wouldn't she take the sniveling brat in? He is her nephew and probably his next in kin,"

"We've taken care of that," Minerva said, winking at Poppy.

"I found dog bites all over Harry and managed to have her dog, Ripper I believe, put to sleep," Poppy said, "Also I had temperament tests be tried on all of her dogs and none are safe around children. There is no hope that she'll get custody of young Mr. Dursley. Most likely he'll be put in an orphanage and be, as the muggles say, forced to grow up," I could tell that she didn't like to punish the boy, but it was really the only way we could without physically touching him. After hearing from Harry how the boy had hit him and blamed him for everything we had to make sure he was involved in the punishment, plus actually learns something from it. I just hope we don't have to save the boy from the same exact thing we had to save Harry from.

"What if we had a muggleborn take him in?" I suggested, "They could teach him all about the Wizarding world and still keep him intact with his muggle roots. Who knows, maybe the brat has some sort of magical talent and he's just been raised to think it was freaky and shouldn't be used,"

They nodded and we quickly decided that a young muggleborn witch by the name of Candace McBlide would take him in. She had been looking into adopting a muggle since she graduated and we could convince her in no time at all. If anyone could teach a magic-fearing muggle to like magic, it would be her. "So we're having Albus, Petunia, and her husband go on trial in about a day's time and having the young Mr. Dursley be adopted by Ms. McBlide," Minerva recapped.

"That sums it up dear Professor," Narcissa said, glancing at the clock, "Its midnight now and we can worry about the trial later, for now let us go into slumber,"

When almost everyone left I went to confront Simon and Zane. "What can we do about the blocks?" I asked, wanting to hear good news.

"We'll see what blocks have been placed upon him first," Simon said, "Then we'll see what we can do after that. We'll probably check the blocks either before the court cases or after them. Will that be good for you Sev?"

"That will be proficient," I said, "You two will be witnesses for us in the court cases tomorrow, won't you?"

"I wouldn't dream of doing anything else," Zane said with a crazy smile, "Get some sleep Severus. We're going to need some if were going against crazy Dumbledore in the morning after next,"

I smiled and then frowned as I saw Albus' phoenix at the window. "Minerva mentioned that bird before you joined us," Simon said, also looking at the bird, "She said he broke the bond between himself and the headmaster. Maybe he wants to be forgiven Severus,"

I knew Simon was right. Phoenixes only bonded with those who proved they would be do-gooders and such. Since Albus was practically killing a child Fawkes wouldn't want to stay with the old coot. I saw out of the corner of my eye Lucius coming into the room to stare at the phoenix too. He looked at me and nodded and I open the window allowing the bird to come in. He landed on my arm but I felt no bond forming. "Do you think he's looking for Harry, Severus?" Lucius asked.

I nodded. "He can see the child in the morning," I said, "For now, we can all rest,"


End file.
